The pumpkin is carved and on display–now make sure to get the most out of those nutrient-packed seeds. Also called pepitas, the seeds provide flavorful crunch along with a dose of fiber, minerals and healthy fat. Roast your own at home or use the seeds in any of these healthy recipes.

Lots of sugar and fat can make this classic Halloween treat super scary. This lightened-up treat has a few tricks – homemade popcorn, a few better-for-you ingredients and smart portions.

Nutrition Facts
Depending on the ingredients, basic buttery and sugary popcorn balls can have anywhere from 200 to 400-plus calories. The numbers only go up from there with the addition of nuts, candy and caramel. Treat trick-or-treaters or Halloween party-goers to this homemade version — with a fraction of the calories — instead.

With the crisp chill of fall in the air and the excitement of Halloween around the corner, pumpkin season is in full swing. When you’re carving those pumpkins or making a fresh pumpkin soup, don’t forget about the hidden treasure inside—the seeds.

Pumpkin Seed Facts
Pumpkin seeds can add a rich flavor and crunchy texture to many dishes. The seeds have a white fibrous hull (outside shell) with medium-dark green seeds inside; the green interiors are also called pepitas and are commonly used in Mexican cooking. If you’re scooping the seeds out of your jack o’ lantern, give them a dip in boiling water or toast them—both the hull and the seed are edible though I prefer my pumpkin seeds without the outer hull. You can also buy them at the store either roasted or raw, with or without the hull, and salted or unsalted.

It’s pumpkin season, thus pumpkin seed season. When you’re carving Jack-o’-lanterns, don’t toss the seeds! When roasted, they make a great, low-calorie snack, and can be used to add crunch to salads and soups. They contain some valuable nutrients (read all about them here) and while you can buy pumpkin seeds at the store year-round (they’re called pepitas), they’re so much better when freshly roasted with your favorite seasonings added.

We celebrated lots of holidays this week — Halloween, National Oatmeal Day (Thursday) and National Chocolate Day (Wednesday). As always, you, our readers, had great ideas for all of them — from cooking with pumpkin to overnight oats. Here are our faves from the week.